Space Documentaries
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- DirectorYavar AbbasStarsAlec BaldwinSean PertweePaul EssiembreA journey through space and time.
- DirectorAl ReinertStarsJim LovellKen MattinglyRussell SchweickartAn in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.
- DirectorAl ReinertStarsJim LovellKen MattinglyRussell SchweickartAn in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.
- DirectorJeffrey RothStarsEugene CernanYuri GagarinJohn F. Kennedy"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." These words spoken by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961 changed the lives of twelve Americans who walked on the moon. The Wonder of it All focuses on Apollo astronauts; Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt as they reflect on the training, tragedies, being on the moon and the effect of space travel. Becoming heroes to a nation, they fulfilled the dream to set foot on another world and in so doing, forever changed the way we view ourselves.
- CreatorAnn DruyanCarl SaganSteven SoterStarsCarl SaganJaromír HanzlíkJonathan FahnAstronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the universe.
- StarsStephen HawkingJeff RawleEugene Babaev6-part documentary series from arguably the greatest scientific mind in the world, the wheelchair-bound Stephen Hawking, which describes all current thinking on the Big Bang, origins of the universe, dark matter, black holes, etc. Includes interviews with leading astronomers and scientists, some commentary from the great man himself, and computer models of the theories.
- StarsMark HallileySasa VasilievskiJerry SoftenThe Planets is a made for television documentary series that explores in depth the planets that make up our solar system.
- StarsHeather CouperVera C. RubinTony TysonA look at the work and worlds of leading scientists and astronomers who are helping to unlock the mysteries of the universe.
- StarsBrian GreeneLeonard SusskindAmanda PeetA documentary examining string theory.
- StarsErik ThompsonAlex FilippenkoLaura DanlyThis educational show explores many scientific questions and topics about the universe (Big Bang, the Sun, the planets, black holes, other galaxies, astrobiology etc.) through latest CGI, data and interviews with scientists.
- StarsSam NeillExplore the wonders of our universe with Sam Neill.
- DirectorDavid SingtonStarsBuzz AldrinAlan BeanEugene CernanThe crew members of NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.
- DirectorPierre de LespinoisStarsLiam Neeson
- DirectorBayley SilleckStarsMorgan FreemanWhere do we fit in with the universe? This film seeks to explore our place among the ever-expanding universe.
- DirectorBen BurttStarsJames BuchliToni MyersOn several Shuttle missions, Earth has been portrayed from places that nobody else could reach. We also are shown the different locations and environmental problems mankind created there because of our wish to exploit our planet for our own benefit.
- DirectorGraeme FergusonStarsWalter CronkiteDavid LeestmaGeorge NelsonTraveling on the Space Shuttle, covers training, launch, flight, deployment of LDEF from Challenger in April 1984 (STS-41C).
- DirectorToni MyersStarsTom CruiseJames ArnoldMichael J. BloomfieldFrom outer space countries don't exist.
- StarsBray PoorLinda J. SpilkerTodd BarberA travel guide to the very alien planets of our Solar System.
- DirectorMike WoolfStarsSergey BrinMike FinckeRenita FinckeThe story of legendary computer game developer Richard Garriott's spaceflight in October 2008.
- StarsGene KranzGary SiniseJim LovellNarrated by award-winning actor Gary Sinise, WHEN WE LEFT EARTH is the incredible story of humankind's greatest adventure, as it happened, told by the people who were there. From the early quest of the Mercury program to put a man in space, to the historic moon landings, through the Soyuz link-up and the first un-tethered space walk by Bruce McCandless, this is how the space age came of age. The vivid HD series features vintage rushes and all the key onboards filmed by the astronauts themselves. The sequences are captured by cameras onboard the spaceships, enabling the series to tell the stories in a depth never seen before.
- DirectorScott J. GillStarsNeil ArmstrongDavid BakerPenelope BostonVisionary rocket scientist, Robert Zubrin, has a plan for getting humans to Mars in the next ten years and ultimately turning the Red Planet blue. But can he win over the skeptics at NASA and the wider world?
- DirectorYavar AbbasStarsAlec BaldwinSean PertweePaul EssiembreA journey through space and time.
- DirectorPatricio GuzmánStarsGaspar GalazLautaro NúñezLuís HenríquezA documentary about two different searches conducted in the Chilean Atacama Desert: one by astronomers looking for answers about the history of the cosmos, and one by women looking for the remains of loved ones killed by Pinochet's regime.
- DirectorAndrei UjicaStarsAnatoli ArzebarskiSergei KrikalevHelen SharmanCosmonaut Sergei Krikalev is the focus of this chronicle of life on the Russian space station Mir, showing what outer space is really like. In addition to the routine day-to-day activities of eating, exercising, and conducting experiments in weightlessness, Krikalev is a bystander to the collapse of the Soviet Union during his 10-month stay onboard Mir in 1991-92.
- DirectorToni MyersStarsLeonardo DiCaprioScott D. AltmanMegan McArthurAn IMAX 3D camera chronicles the effort of 7 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
- DirectorLars Lindberg ChristensenStarsRobert FosburyCovers all aspects of the Hubble Space Telescope project - a journey through the history, the troubled early life and the ultimate scientific successes of Hubble.
- DirectorDana BerryStarsPhil PlaitJohn M. GrunsfeldJeff HesterHubble Space Telescope is awaiting one final shuttle servicing mission, but why is a telescope worth the risk? Hubble has made numerous discoveries, such as the birth of stars, the death of stars, the existence of black holes, the violence of a comet crash, charting Dark Matter clouds, and discovering 2/3rds of the Universe itself, in the form of mysterious Dark Energy. One day, the Hubble mission will end, and Hubble will burn up in the atmosphere. But a new telescope, the James Webb, will take its place among the stars.
- DirectorDon Barrett
- StarsBenedict CumberbatchStephen HawkingMelissa RicciIn this comprehensive cosmology series Stephen Hawking looks at the entire universe, from the Big Bang to the end of time.
- StarsMorgan FreemanSean CarrollMichio KakuHosted by Morgan Freeman, Through the Wormhole will explore the deepest mysteries of existence - the questions that have puzzled mankind for eternity. What are we made of? What was there before the beginning? Are we really alone? Is there a creator? These questions have been pondered by the most exquisite minds of the human race.
- StarsPhil PlaitMichelle ThallerRichard LinternA users guide to the cosmos from the big bang to galaxies, stars, planets and moons. Where did it all come from and how does it all fit together. A primer for anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered.
- StarsJosh CharlesMartin SheenRobin WilliamsThis program is made by the Discovery Network, and the show's 'full-name' has the suffix phrase of "The Questions of Our Life", after curiosity. The show tries to answer mysteries and certain queries within diverse fields like the human mind, history, archaeology, medicine, anthropology, nature, biology, space and history. While the show was being planned, Discovery's game-plan was to air twelve one-hour episodes each season for five years. However, when "Curiosity..." did premiere in August of 2011, it began a weekly broadcast schedule that ran the full first season, which ended with the 13th episode on November, 20, 2011. Similarly, the second season also followed the weekly format, between October 7, 2012 and January 27, 2013. Since then, there has only been one episode broadcast under the umbrella title of "Curiosity: The Questions of Our Life". This was the episode named "Stonehenge", which was shown on July 20, 2014. Two websites have emerged since the series debut, both of which deal with analogous subject matter, which achieve their individual goals strategically.
- StarsBrian CoxSteven MackintoshProfessor Brian Cox visits some of the most dramatic parts of the globe to explain the fundamental principles that govern the laws of nature - light, gravity, energy, matter and time. With the world's most profound science at its heart, Wonders Of The Universe reveals how the story of humanity is intimately entwined with that of the complex story of the origins of the universe.
- StarsRobert SeamansBill StoneySonny MoreaA collection of documentaries about project apollo,from the designers and engineers viewpoint.Each episode focused on individual components or equipment for the Apollo programme.
- DirectorMark DavisStarsLance LewmanSteve SquyresScott MaxwellThis program describes the travels, adventures, challenges and discoveries of Spirit and Opportunity as they explore the surface of Mars. Along the way they climb hills, crawl into craters, get stuck in the sand, break down, make some some amazing discoveries and give their caretakers back home some exciting days and sleepless nights. And their story continues.
- DirectorMark CowenStarsTom HanksJohn CorbettAndrew HusmannThis program strives to give the viewer an impression of what it is like to actually be on the moon. It provides a romantic, inspirational depiction of the Apollo astronauts travels on the moon peppered by their quotations of their impressions.
- DirectorKensuke KishiKazuhiro KitanoToshihito MatsumotoStarsDeb FialkowOur galaxy alone contains hundreds of billions of stars, giving scientists a vast cosmic frontier to search. Could alien life be looking up at its own sky and asking, "Is there life out there?"
- StarsBrian CoxCarolyn PorcoRichard HooverIn this spellbinding series Professor Brian Cox visits the most extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders across the solar system.
- StarsTimothy FerrisBob ElliottMurray Gell-MannTrip through the creation of the Universe from the Bog Bang to the frontiers of science. Musical score from Brian Eno. Includes visits with great thinkers.
- DirectorJoe AhearneStarsDavid SuchetMartin McDougallJoanne McQuinnThis two-part science fiction docu-drama examines the possibilities of a dangerous, manned space mission to explore the inner and outer planets of the Solar system.
- DirectorGeorge ButlerStarsPaul NewmanSteve SquyresRob ManningThrough the eyes of two state-of-the-art rovers, and with NASA scientists at your side, you'll see Mars in a way no one ever has before-direct from the surface of the amazing red planet.
- DirectorIvan GalinStarsAugust SchellenbergMission to Mir is an unique tour of the Russian Space Station Mir. Filmed in space by American astronauts, the film examines their relationships with Mir's cosmonauts as they live, work, and entertain in a zero-gravity environment.
- DirectorCharles EamesRay EamesStarsPhilip MorrisonBeginning with a shot of a couple enjoying a picnic, then zooming out incrementally by powers of ten, the film offers a glimpse of everything from the edge of the known universe to the molecules on a person's hand.
- DirectorNigel AshcroftStarsDaniel BisqueMatthew BisqueSteve BisqueStargazing is the subject of Seeing in the Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the-art, high-definition (HDTV) documentary written, produced and narrated by award-winning filmmaker, journalist and best-selling author Timothy Ferris. The program introduces viewers to the rewards of first person, hands-on astronomy. It is based on Ferris book, Seeing in the Dark (Simon & Schuster, 2002), named by The New York Times as one of the ten best books of the year. The program features remarkable high-definition astrophotography, and introduces men and women who have seen and captured phenomenal images within and beyond our solar system and galaxy, both professionals and amateurs. They include: Robert Smith, former star NFL running back turned stargazer, Miami, Florida; Barbara Wilson, teacher, Houston, Texas; Steven James OMeara, artist, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Ron Bissinger, CEO, Pleasanton, California; Rob Gendler, radiologist, Avon, Connecticut; Michael Koppelman, musician, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Debra Fischer, astrophysicist, Berkeley, California; The Bisque Brothers, designers of telescope-control software and hardware, Golden, Colorado
- DirectorBen BurttPhyllis FergusonJames NeihouseStarsLeonard NimoyRoberta L. BondarEric DeJongTravel up close astronauts as they repair the Hubble Space Telescope and soar above Venus and Mars whilst finding proof of new planets and the possibility of other life forming around distant stars.
- DirectorDon BarrettStarsPatrick StewartA voyage from Earth to the edge of the universe.
- StarsIsaac AsimovA voyage through the solar system.
- DirectorKirk WolfingerStarsBarry CorbinBuzz AldrinJay BarbreeThis mini-series is a documentary that chronicles the NASA space program from its inception up through the final moon mission of Apollo 17 with historical, archived NASA film footage.
- DirectorDan HandleyStarsCain AlexanderKurt BellRobert R. BellThis film tells the surprising story of how the Allegheny Observatory has been a world leader in the study of the stars since the 1860s. Self-educated, and often facing unrelenting hardships, the people associated with the Allegheny Observatory defied the odds to make enormous contributions to the founding of astrophysics and early aviation. Among its many distinctions, the Allegheny Observatory is often regarded as the birthplace of astrophysics, laid the foundation for climate and solar energy research, had made major discoveries in planetary science, and have discovered and studied planets outside our solar system. Samuel Pierpont Langley made the first truly scientific studies of the principles of flight and published a textbook on the subject in 1891. He was also the first person to fly a documented heavier-than-air powered flying machine in 1896. Starting with only a grade school education, John Brashear taught himself physics and astronomy to become one of the world's foremost scientific instrument makers. Among his many accomplishments, he made the highly precise optical apparatus for one of the most famous physics experiments ever performed, the Michelson Morley experiment. This experiment revolutionized all of physics and provided crucial evidence to support Einstein's theory of special relativity. UNDAUNTED is the story of ingenious minds in a little known place, whose remarkable stories of tenacity and determination in the pursuit of furthering science and technology have nearly been forgotten. Features interviews with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History, Dr. Tom Crouch of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Dr. George Gatewood of the University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. William Fickinger of Case Western Reserve University.
- DirectorScott HicksA behind-the-scenes look at Space Shuttle operations.
- A collection of NASA films, from Project Mercury to the Space Shuttle.
- StarsSteve JacobsBeau WeaverMichael MassiminoTravel through the universe to explore the really big questions. Is there life on other planets? Just how big was the Big Bang? What would traveling at "warp speed" really look like? Could wormholes make time travel a reality? Could life on earth survive another huge meteor strike like the one that took out the dinosaurs?
- DirectorDuncan CoppStarsJames S. BullockReg E. CatheyEmbark on an astounding journey across 100,000 light-years to witness key moments in the history of the Milky Way. Using cutting-edge science, National Geographic constructs a 3-D state-of-the-art CGI model of our galaxy. Gaze into the heart of the Milky Way on the hunt for super-massive black holes. Witness as stars are born and die. Fly out and above the plane of our galaxy to understand its true shape and scour its dusty spiral arms for the possibility of life.
- StarsBenedict CumberbatchStephen HawkingBill HutchensIn this documentary, Stephen Hawking tries to explain what science can tell us about the meaning of life through physics, philosophical discussion,and Hawking's own unique scientific perception, he attempts to shed light on humanities most profound question.
- DirectorNoel BucknerRob WhittleseyStarsJohn AaronAmr AbdulgalilFred HaiseApollo 13 was supposed to be the third human spacecraft to successfully land on the moon and return home safely, when, 250,000 miles from earth, these words pierced the vastness of space: "Houston, we have a problem." This documentary uses interviews with the actual astronauts, family members and NASA engineers that were there, combined with archival news footage, to tell the true story of Apollo 13.
- StarsJon SnowA travel by the wonders of the universe as brief as unforgettable.
- DirectorJohn WeileyStarsAlex ScottSolarmax is a 40-minute giant-screen documentary that tells the story of humankind's struggle to understand the sun. The film will take audiences on an incredible voyage from pre-history to the leading edge of today's contemporary solar science.
- DirectorMelissa R. ButtsStarsEm ClarkZach ClarkKelby CrossSpace Junk is a visually explosive journey of discovery that weighs the solutions aimed at restoring our planet's orbits.
- StarsJames BurkeRoger AvonPeter SprouleJames Burke explores key moments in Western History where new knowledge in science changed the way the modern Western world thinks.
- DirectorTheo KameckeStarsLaurence LuckinbillBuzz AldrinNeil ArmstrongThis documentary from 1970 explores all aspects of the Apollo 11 Moon mission.
- DirectorLars Lindberg ChristensenStarsDr. J.Sarah Medes Da CostaReleased on the 50th anniversary of the European Southern Observatory, the documentary tells the story of discovering a mysterious Universe by designing, building and operating the most powerful ground-based telescopes on the planet.
- DirectorMickey LemleStarsBuzz AldrinAlan BeanCharles ConradFeatures eight Apollo astronauts who intimately share their experience of going to the moon, describing what happened to them while they were there, and how their lives have been shaped by the experience in the 20 years after.
- DirectorBill GibsonStarsBuzz AldrinNeil ArmstrongMike CollinsTheatrically released documentary on the Apollo 11 moon landing, issued barely two months after its completion, combining footage from Houston's Space Center, Florida's Cape Kennedy, and aboard the shuttle itself.
- DirectorLeo De BoerA detailed and in-depth look at the early days of the Soviet Union's space program as told by cosmonauts themselves.
- DirectorDavid HoffmanStarsLiev SchreiberGene BanucciJay BarbreeDocumentary looking back at the USSR's Sputnik satellite and its effects at the time and over the last 50 years.
- DirectorRushmore DeNooyerKirk WolfingerStarsGene KranzJames DoolittleChristopher KraftA history of the U.S. manned space program from Mercury to Apollo 17, as seen by the men of Mission Control.
- DirectorBecky NeimanMichael PotterJoin this band of rebels out to change the course of history in space, as they board a private Gulf Stream jet, fly to Russia, negotiate one of the most remarkable business deals of the final frontier.
- DirectorChristian FreiStarsAnousheh AnsariJonas BendiksenDumitru PopescuSpace Tourists succeeds in surprising its audience with images and situations that have very little to do with the futuristic fantasy of 'space-tourism'. The filmmaker sets up encounters with the least likely people imaginable: places even stranger and more unknown than outer space itself. With extra-ordinary access and truly first-time images the film investigates the emotional oscillations of an expensive enterprise and questions the meaning and boundaries of the human spirit and our hunger for adventure and discovery.
- DirectorMark LevinsonStarsDavid KaplanFabiola GianottiSherwood BoehlertAs the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.
- DirectorStephen van VuurenStarsLeVar BurtonTakes audience on a 14 billion light year journey of the mind, heart and spirit from the big bang to the near future via the Cassini-Huygens Mission at Saturn.
- DirectorDaniel CohenAn inspiring documentary film that details the life mission of Col. Ilan Ramon, the first and only Astronaut from Israel, who blasted off on the Shuttle Columbia. He carries with him a cherished artifact, a miniature Torah scroll, that had survived the Holocaust. From the "Depths of hell to the heights of space," his simple gesture would serve to honor the hope of a nation and to fulfill a promise made to generations past and future.
- StarsNeil deGrasse TysonChristopher EmersonKeythe FarleyAn exploration of our discovery of the laws of nature and coordinates in space and time.
- DirectorPavel MedvedevA montage of scenes from the unseen archives of the Soviet space program.
- DirectorLes GuthmanStarsRichard DawkinsCarolyn PorcoA mind-bending exploration of Saturn and its moons - and the possibility of life in the salt-water mists of one moon, Enceladus. Dr. Carolyn Porco leads NASA's digital imaging team on the Cassini mission, which has been exploring Saturn since 2004. Dr. Porco and her team have brought back breath-taking photographs, which transport us across Saturn's great luminous rings and onto the surface of its strange, extreme and wondrous moons.
- DirectorPaul DevlinStarsMark DevlinBarth NetterfieldVictor DavisonWith extraordinary access, BLAST exposes a world of risky, hardcore, scientific adventure. The story follows an international team of astrophysicists trying to launch a multi-million dollar telescope on a NASA high-altitude balloon. Their journey to discover thousands of early galaxies takes them from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Revealing frustrations, inevitable failures and ultimate triumph, BLAST puts a human face on the quest to answer our most basic question - How did we get here?
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsStephen HawkingIsobel HawkingJanet HumphreyA film about the life and work of the cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who despite his near total paralysis, was one of the great minds of all time.
- StarsAlisdair SimpsonBuzz AldrinNeil ArmstrongDocumentary series offering audiences a unique chance to glimpse an astronaut's view of spaceflight.
- DirectorMark CraigStarsEugene CernanFred 'Baldy' BaldwinAlan BeanWhen Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan stepped off the moon in December 1972 he left his footprints and his daughter's initials in the lunar dust. Only now is he ready to share his epic but deeply personal story of fulfillment, love, and loss.
- DirectorRon de MoraesStarsRick MastracchioDermot O'LearyKoichi WakataHere for the first time, filmed by themselves and in their own words, is the incredible story of their out-of-this world experiences of living in space. From eating, sleeping and performing science experiments to the life-threatening consequences of a broken valve on the ISS.
- DirectorMarc EtkindStarsJohn LithgowJeffrey KargelAshley DaviesSwimming in Neptune's moons, flying in Uranus' moons, jumping in Mars' moons, living in Jupiter's moons - welcome to the future of mankind, where you'll see the next worlds to discover.
- DirectorJim PolaczynskiStarsKate MulgrewKate Mulgrew narrates the fascinating story of NASA's only nuclear fission test reactor, activated in Ohio in 1961 to be used in research on nuclear-powered planes and shuttles and shut down for good by President Nixon in 1973 due to costs.
- DirectorMartyn IvesStarsPatrick StewartWilliam HartmannJay MeloshWhat if the moon never had existed?
- DirectorTony PalmerStarsBuzz AldrinNeil ArmstrongMike CollinsA musical journey through our solar system to the far reaches of the universe.
- DirectorKatheryne ThomasStarsJulian BarbourRobert J. BennettJohn BylThe Principle" brings to light astonishing new scientific observations challenging the Copernican Principle; the foundational assumption underlying the modern scientific worldview.
- DirectorPatrick FlemingStarsMichio KakuSpace is becoming a danger zone as old rockets and satellites orbiting around Earth at ten of thousands of miles an hour disintegrate, explode and crash into each other. Will the vast mass of accumulating debris turn our planet into a prison?
- DirectorMaryanne GalvinStarsEric AdkinsShubber AliMaryam AljoannPeople have been talking about space since the first humans lifted their eyes to ponder the stars above. Today opinions about space exploration are as vast as the universe itself. Like many of the technologies we now take for granted, people have come to see space exploration as something that happens almost automatically. What's Going On Up There? examines the risks and benefits of sacrifices that must be made on the road to revitalizing the space industry. From hard-working scientists and environmentalists--even a college student in Kuwait who wants to be the first Muslim woman in space--to Hollywood film directors, artists, psychiatrists, historians, lawyers and preschoolers, this doc offers conversations with professionals and ordinary citizens on all sides of the space debate. Introduced by Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), who once again asks us what Earthlings will do with the final frontier.
- DirectorNils Cowan